Support for tail lamps on motor vehicles



Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES HABTWELL TUCKER, OF PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, MARYLAND.

SUIPPOBT FOB TAIL LAMPS ON MOTOB VEHICLES.

Application filed July 31,

To all whom` it may concm:

Be it known that I, HARTWELL TUCKER, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Prince Georges County, in the State of Maryland, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Supports for Tail Lampson Motor Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improved means for supporting electric lampsupon motor Vehicles, and particularly to supporting means for the rearor tail lamp for use on a motor truck.

lVith the adoption of electric lamps for 1 motor vehicles generally, theattempt has also been made to use such a lamp for the tail light onmotor trucks to show the usual red indication as a danger or warningsignal to an approaching vehicle, and also to 2 project white light onto the license tag or plate. Because of the severe joltng and shocks towhich the lamp is subjected when used in this position, the life of afilament lamp is Very short, and the danger of its 2 being broken andhence not lighted is so reat, that its use has been to a lar e extentiscontinued with the necessty o? reverting to the use of an oil lamp.

On a motor truck severe vibration and jolting of the tail lamp is causedby the fact that solid tires are quite generally used,

and the bracket for supporting the tail lamp must be attached to thechassis or bod of the vehicle at a considerable distance rom the rearaxle, particularly on those trucks with long bodies which overhang therear axle to such an extent that the rear light would be obscured iffastened close to the axle housing. With my improved support ing means,consisting of a shock-absorbing element or link between the lamp and itssupport, it is possible to use electric filament lamps for the rear ortail lights on trucks or other heavy duty vehicles, regardless of thelocation of the supporting bracket or of the rough usage to which thecommercial vehicles are frequently subjected.

The detail Construction of the supporting means constituting myinvention, is shown in the accompanying drawing, which forms a part ofthis application, and in which- Fig. l is an end elevation of a motortruck with the lamp support Secured to end cross-member of the chassis.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the truck 1923. Serial No. 654312.

shown in Fig. l, and illustrating the usual position of the tail lightwith relation to the rear supporting aXle of the vehicle.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the flexible or yielding link in the lampsupporting means,

which constitutes my invention, and

Fig. el is a sectional View on the line 4--l of Fi 3.

Re erring to Fig. l the numeral l indicates the end or cross-member ofthe supporting frame of a truck or vehicle, the body of which isindicated at 2. This vehicle is shown in Fig. 2 as one in which theframe and body extend rearwardly a considerable distance beyond thesupporting axle. lVith the tail light attached to the end of the chassisof the vehicle, the jarring and jolting to which the lamp would besubjected in traveling over a rough road, for example, is severe anddetrimental to the life of a filament lamp. The radius of movement ofthe lamp is its distance from the center of the rear axle, and thevertical movements of the rear wheels, due to unevenness y or roughnessof the road being traveled, may cause a considerably greater and abruptmovement of the tail lamp which, if rigidly supported, not infrequentlyis damaged to the extent of having the filament broken. 3 is a lampbracket which may be of any desired type or form and which forms no partof the present invention. This is generally a rigid casting or forgingwith openings to facilitate its placement on the vehicle and theattaching of a lamp to a laterally extended arm.

In place of securing the lamp 4, directly tothe bracket 3, thisinvention contemplates an intermediate element or link 5, preferably offibrous material such as leather or the like, which constitutes a Shockabsorbor yielding connection between the lamp and its rigid support. Theelement 5 is, when made of leather, substantially rectangular in shape,i. e., having greater length than width and of sufiicient thickness togive the required supporting strength. I have found that if leather isused, the grade known as belt leather, is most satisfactory, butobviously other knds of leather might be used and also rubber or acomposition of rubber and fabric may be substituted for leather as thematerial from which the element 5 may be made. As shown in Figs. 3 and4, a transverse opening is provided near either end of the element 5through which a bolt Ol' other secili-ing means may be passed. Theopening at one en?` is {or secu'ing means to the bracket 01' othersupport, and the opening at the opposite end ie foithe hunp nttachngmeans. These openings may he protected by inetzllic eyelets or gronetsto prevent undue wear or cutting of the member 5, by the metal attachingmeans.

The element possesses the greatest flexihility, and henee o'l' e's less'esistance to hending, transversely to its length; 'out it ;also hatelimited llexibility in all directions,

un mown'tionezl :s to thickness, length th with ths end in View. ActualRIYQ proven that where. the element of .belt lea'hei' it g 'veseetisfeeto'y results when of the following' iliinensionsg inches. Wll'l)two ani oneand thickness three- (lo not intenl to he precise ii ree, hetdisclo ee hem merely by *ay of concrete iilnstration. lie iexingr lini:s'ppo'tecl when used, by the lnnp ln'uket oiotne: attaehin; means, in :iVertical plane :is shown in Fig. 1.

Since the Vehicle body in noving over a rourh Tomi may have notion whichchanges in direction Very smldenly, 'the tail lanp enhjecte-: to forcestending to p'odnce Inotion in "ill'lOUS directions, and I havediscovered that in proportioning the dimensions of the fiexing link 5,eubstantially ne tivo of the leni-p ihnnent. AS shown in Fig.

4: two laye's of the fiexible material are enployed in order to securethe i'equiste thiei m and when this n''angenient is rivets T :u'e usedto gom the layt the z senililed element will iex Vhut chin ;is new anddesi'e to secure by l` t :l tates Lettem Pitent, is:

Snppoi'ting means 'fier the tail lamp of e. inoioi' vehicle coniprisinga rigid support znl a Hil "le 'iexihle shock ahsorhin element ofihi'o'is material interposed between dhe i-igii support anal the la: p,said flenihle element cnrtnnting the ole connection hetween the 1^l ::iisupport and the lanp the rnil iieihle element having: greeter lengththan wilth and provided with means to poi-mit :tteching of the hunp :ttone end and nie-eins fol' seem-ing the element to the rgcl support :itits opposite end, the said fiexible element eonstituting e yiehiingcntilever snppoi'ting aun 1 01.' the hnnp with its maj 01' xis offlexure in {L Vertical plane.

In testimony whereof, I have 'signed my name to this specficetion.

HARTWELL TUCKER.

